Male politicians fit to be tied on wardrobe

K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune

Gov. Gavin Newsom during a visit in San Diego last week to discuss funding shelters for asylum-seekers. At left are Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and Councilman Chris Ward (behind his shoulder).

Gov. Gavin Newsom during a visit in San Diego last week to discuss funding shelters for asylum-seekers. At left are Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher and Councilman Chris Ward (behind his shoulder). (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appearance in San Diego last week kicked up quite a bit of commentary.

Sure, his discussion of funding of shelters for migrants seeking asylum rightly drew the lion’s share of the attention. But it was the appearance, literally, of the always-dapper governor that triggered an amusing online conversation about what he was wearing. Or more to the point, not wearing.

“Exactly. Ties ----,” added Gil Cabrera, a member of the San Diego Convention Center board of directors.

“We were talking about that too,” chimed in Voice of San Diego Editor-in-Chief Scott Lewis, responding to Davis. “It stood out because the suit he wore yesterday was so crisp shiny. It looked like he’d just left a wedding and pulled off the tie.”

It’s not the first time San Diego’s politerati has been captivated by this male accoutrement. But more on that later.

Descriptions of Newsom’s tie-less attire didn’t make it into news stories about his visit, and there appeared to be no disgruntled counter-comments about why his clothing was worthy of discussion on social media — the kind of debate that sometimes erupts when what female politicians wear is described.

The New York Times received some blowback after noting on Twitter that Nancy Pelosi was wearing a “hot pink dress” when she regained the House speaker’s gavel at the beginning of January.

"Find me the story where you mentioned what Paul Ryan was wearing when he became Speaker," demanded Paul Begala, a CNN contributor and strategist for President Bill Clinton.

Others insisted it was appropriate, even essential reporting.

“The women of the new Congress clearly picked their swearing-in wardrobes with care, and to ignore their clothes or write that off as frivolity is to miss an important message about how they intend to govern: as themselves, rather than as hackneyed, subdued stereotypes of what lawmakers are supposed to be like,” wrote fashion mavens Jessica Morgan and Heather Cocks in The Washington Post.

“. . .Pelosi knew exactly what she was doing, taking back her power while looking both fierce and feminine.”

Hard to believe, but even that controversy pales in comparison to the reaction when President Barack Obama had the temerity to wear a tan suit at a news conference in 2014. The Internet blew a gasket. Rants ranged from claims that it was merely unpresidential to a cataclysmic sign of the nation’s pending downfall.

As the fashion writers pointed out, public figures take care in what they’re wearing, sometimes to send a specific message. The beige cardigan sweater President Jimmy Carter wore during his televised “fireside chat” about the energy crisis in February 1977 combined casual coziness with an implied suggestion: turn down the thermostat.

Dozens of women in Congress sent an unmistakable message at Tuesday’s State of the Union address by wearing white in homage to early suffragettes who fought to give women the right to vote.

Sometimes, it’s the little things that get noticed, like President Donald Trump’s use of tape to keep his famous red tie together. He was ridiculed by many, but also praised for a practical, if low-rent, sartorial trick that also helped him identify with regular folks. It’s the kind of thing a lot of us would do.

Still, wardrobe coverage in politics tends to focus more on women and in some cases seems downright sexist. But there is a partial, more benign possibility: Women usually wear more interesting and better looking clothes. Aside from the occasional light-weight summer suit, male politicians all essentially wear the same thing and it’s boring: dark suits and white shirts, with the tie being the real variable in the entire ensemble.

Which brings us back to San Diego and a fashion point of interest to civic-minded people. Omar Passons‏, who ran for county supervisor last year, probably unwittingly triggered a long, informative and highly entertaining conversation on Twitter in January with a simple plea.

“I feel like I'm too old not to get the dimple and length right every time. For any of you daily tie wearers, please post any tips,” asked Passons, who now is head of Integrative Services Division in the San Diego County's Health & Human Services Agency.

“Go with skinny ties, no dimple necessary. I struggle with length tho, so you're not alone,” responded Andrew Bowen of KPBS.

“Only skinny people say this,” observed county Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who it should be noted wore a tie during the Newsom visit. (His wife — Lorena Gonzalez — had something to say about this subject. See above.)

“It’s not fair, really. Julian and I had to go to Catholic school, so there was hell to pay if we didn’t get it right. Scared straight,” said Mark Cafferty, president and CEO of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation.

“Funny, I learned how to get the perfect tie dimple from the original @QueerEye series. Basically the opposite of scared straight,” countered Assemblyman Todd Gloria.

“Well played,” said Passons.

“I say you up your pocket square game in lieu of tie,” implored Julian Parra, a San Diego bank executive.

“Oy, don't get me started on the difficulties inherent in my pocket square game,” Passons moaned.

“Ok — if you must wear a tie, then make a dimple with the bottom piece of cloth,” advised Fletcher. “Hold it tight while you wrap around with a double Windsor knot. The visible part of the tie will follow the contours of the fabric below it and you will look great!”

“I'm a pastor in a very informal church,” added Dale Huntington. “We almost never wear ties. I have to watch YouTube before every wedding and funeral.”

Clearly, proper tie etiquette is an underappreciated public dilemma in San Diego.